Obscure Reflections
by Eclair Designs
Summary: Sequel to Coping: Eli Stoker and his illegal activities soon attracted the attention of DEA, who considered him very dangerous. The team arrested Stoker, but not before he figured out that Cassidy was working undercover to bring him down and wounded her in the line of duty. Ten years later, Stoker has escaped and is seeking revenge. Full summary Inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Obscure Reflections **

**Story Summary: **

Eli Stoker and his illegal activities soon attracted the attention of Drug Enforcement Administration, who considered him very dangerous.

They assigned a team to bring Stoker down, led by Erik Miller and comprised of Cassidy Reed who worked undercover as "Chelsea Huntington" as well as two other agent's and five SCAT members.

The team arrested Stoker, but not before he figured out that Cassidy was working undercover to bring him down which enraged him and wounded her in the line of duty. Stoker was later imprisoned at a highly secured Penitentiary for his crimes, where he swore revenge against those who destroyed his life.

Ten years later, Cassidy, who moved forward from her tragic past, now happily married to Santa Barbara's renown Psychic, Shawn Spencer to whom she shares a child with, Ellie Spencer, learns from a former colleague, Bryan Hicks of the DEA, that Eli Stoker has escaped from prison and gone off the grid and that everyone is in danger.

Can Cassidy, along with the help of Psychic Detective Shawn Spencer and associate Burton Guster put a stop to Stoker before the people they hold dear to them are harmed?

**A/N: **

**Alright Psycho's, since I've had a lot of people ask for the sequel to Coping, I decided to fulfill my promise to start it. This is something that recently came to mind and HAD to write it. I do not own Psych and this story contains mature content. **

_Prologue _

_2004_

"_Hey, Miller," Agent Ruiz called. "Not that I don't doubt Reed's ability to extract information from this guy, but are you sure the information she received was good? I don't think they're coming, man." _

_Special Agent Reed turned her head to Agent Ruiz and gave him a condemning glance. _

"_He'll be here. I'm sure of it." She said as she leaned against the nearest tree._

"_But isn't this the same guy we hit a few years back?" He asked. "Isn't it possible he got scared and changed his location?" _

"_Apparently he wasn't smart enough to do so." Miller said. _

"_If that's the case, wouldn't he have some contingency plan for us?" Ruiz said nervously. _

"_Even he did manage to work out some contingency plan, we have our little weapon by our side." Miller smirked. _

_Cassidy winced __as if his words had been a physical blow __and smacked him upside the head. _

"_I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" She complained. _

_Miller chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his head before taking a deep breath, an air __of seriousness settling around him._

"_The plan's perfect. Right Reed?" _

_Cassidy nodded silently. _

"_Yeah, you're probably right." Ruiz said relieved. _

"_So anyway, Reed...you free after this?" Ruiz continued, as his eyes drank in her lithe form appreciatively. "I found a gun shop with a great selection and we could hang out afterward." _

"_Please," Miller muttered. _

_It didn't take a genius to know that Miller had a serious problem. He was madly in lust with his partner, everything about her enticed him. Her fantastic body and the way she moved it, her scent, her smile, her laugh, her voice, her fantastically brilliant amber eyes, her soft lips which he longed to taste, all of it flashed through his mind continuously even when he wasn't at the office, and he knew he was far too distracted to be at the top of his game, but he couldn't stop. _

_He had been drawn to her before, but now he craved her. Even though he knew it was horribly wrong, he ached to be hers, to give her pleasure like she had never had, but every time the thought arose he pushed it away angrily. _

_He had no business wanting her like that, especially since she had a good thing going for her and Trevor for the past couple of years. It seemed so incredibly unjust, but Miller tried to hammer the fact into his head that Cassidy would never be his, couldn't be his because not only was he eleven years her senior, but her teacher and partner and a thousand other reasons that made such an interaction practically forbidden. And yet, he was still thinking about it wasn't he?_

"_I'm sorry, Ruiz," Cassidy apologized. "After this, I'm heading straight home to see my little girl."_

"_Ruiz, stop ogling at the girl would you," Agent Hicks said disgusted. "Just because she's the only female agent in our department you have yet to sleep with doesn't mean she's another skirt for you to chase. Besides, I don't think Trevor would be happy if he found out you were hitting on his girlfriend." _

"_I don't think Trevor's happy with her at all right now anyway." Specialized Crimes Action Team Officer Collins said, her gaze shifting to Cassidy, __and if Cassidy had to name the expression on her face, she would have thought it to be almost…smug. "__After all, she has been sleeping with the enemy for over a month now."_

"_If I had my way she wouldn't be on this case, but the suspect prefers women of her nature and I grudgingly had to accept the fact that she might have to sleep with the suspect. She was instrumental in taking this guy down and incarcerating him just as much as the rest of us and jumped in at the chance to make it happen." Miller seethed, pointing an angry finger at the blonde. _

_Officer Collins rolled her eyes. _

"_Now if you have a problem with the missions she's assigned to, take it up with my boss." He continued. "But don't you go and accuse my partner of being some slut or you're going to have a much bigger problem on your hands, Collins."_

"_What's the matter, Collins, can't stand doing your job if you're not in the spotlight?" Cassidy asked, unable to resist jabbing her a little even though she knew it was immature and unprofessional. _

_The cruel smile was immediately wiped from her face and her blue eyes grew colder, glittering dangerously under the moonlight. _

_"I refuse to share the stage with an amateur like you," she said haughtily. "Our superiors were out of their goddamned minds for thinking you could ever replace me, even for one operation." _

_Cassidy wanted to roll her eyes. Calling this woman a diva was an understatement._

_"Well princess, you'll be happy to know that after all of this is through you'll have your position back full time. I told my superior I didn't feel comfortable being a main attraction." _

_Collins looked at her strangely for a moment, as if she couldn't comprehend why anyone would want to give that up, but then her lips quirked into that condescending smile again as she took a few steps toward the young woman._

_"What's the matter? Couldn't handle it?"_

_Cassidy gritted her teeth. What did Collins want to prove anyway? That she was a better female officer? That she was sexier or better liked by the men? Fine, Cassidy would admit that if that's what the woman wanted to hear. It wouldn't be a surprise to learn the guys preferred Collins raunchy and tasteless way of going undercover to her own more discreet way. However, it wasn't in the Agent's nature to let such a remark just roll off her back._

_"No," Cassidy said coolly as she squared her shoulders in a subtle message that said she wasn't intimidated by Collins in the least. "I just don't relish the thought of being advertised as Santa Clara's number one undercover whore."_

_The diva's confident smile faltered a moment, but even when she quickly slid her mask of perfection back into place, anger burned in blue eyes._

_"Well, if you're looking to be second best, you're more than welcome to take it, especially since-"_

"_That's enough, Collins." SCAT Sergeant Davis barked."If you want to go back to traffic control and Security at parades I suggest you keep your mouth shut. One more word and you're off this squad permanently. Do I make myself clear?" _

_The two women glared at each other hatefully. _

_Cassidy waited for her rival to__ argue with her sergeant __but, to her surprise, the woman turned and stomped to the back of the group. Cassidy let out the breath she had been holding and slumped a little. _

_Agent Hicks straightened as he caught sight of their suspect through his bi-ocular. "Well what do you know," he said. "Looks like they showed up after all." _

"_Then it's finally time," Miller said. "Positions everyone. When the exchange is complete between the two parties, we move in." _

_**~PSYCH~ **_

_The mission did not follow exactly as planned. What they expected to be a major drug bust turned out wound out to be much more sinister indeed. Hidden in secret compartments beneath several dozen fruit crates topped off with various fruits, to avoid suspicion was a total of several hundred pounds of heroin, various semiautomatic weapons and explosive devices. _

_Cassidy flinched as she could feel the bullet whizzing past her ear as she slammed the heel of her hand against the side of the offender's head, sending a spray of darkness across the backs of his eyes, like shards of exploding black glass, and then she clubbed her fist against the nape his neck, rendering the man unconscious. _

"_Son of a-" Miller growled. "I'm out!" _

_Cassidy's hand quickly strayed to the pocket of her vest to retrieve a full cartridge and tossed it to her partner. _

"_Make it count!" She yelled over the loud gunfire. _

_Miller quickly reloaded his weapon and kneeled down on one knee behind a crate and leveled his rifle at one of the men and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight through cranium, killing him instantly. _

_Upon doing so, Cassidy caught sight of their suspect, Eli Stoker. _

"_Erik, cover me!" _

_Miller cursed under his breath. The situation was going to hell. But his partner had made a move, and he had to back her up, but by the time he had it aimed at the wrongdoers, she was already out of sight and in pursuit. _

_Cassidy ran as fast as her body would carry her, ignoring the burning in the muscles of her legs. Her incredible stamina was the only reason she had been able to keep up such an intensive pace for so long. Although she could keep running like this for hours, fueled by anxiety and adrenaline, she managed to catch up to the suspect who was loading several black duffle bags into an International CXT truck._

"_Federal Agent," She announced, leveling her gun at the back of his head. "Eli Stoker, step away from the vehicle, turn around and put your hands behind your head!"_

_Stoker quickly reached for his weapon and whipped around, but when he turned around he didn't expect to see the woman he had been sexually involved with for the past month pointing a gun directly at him. _

"_Drop your weapon!"_

"_Chelsea?" _

_Cassidy shook her head. _

"_No, I'm a Federal Agent for the DEA. I was assigned to go undercover and use all possible means necessary to extract information from you while maintaining my disguise. It was all one big ruse." She said. "Now, put your weapon down and get down on the ground." _

_Eli Stoker stared at her coldly and didn't budge. Cassidy stared back. _

"_Put the weapon down, Eli!" She repeated. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is." _

"_You cunt, you dare to double cross me?" He growled. "I trusted you, fell for you!"_

"_Every man should know that falling for a stripper never ends well." She retorted. _

"_Let me tell you something sweetheart, you have no idea what you're up against." _

"_Yeah, well neither do you." She said, her finger tightening on the trigger. "Now do as your told and drop your weapon!" _

_Grudgingly, he obeyed and dropped the weapon._

"_Put your hands on your head," She barked at Stoker. _

_Cassidy raised her gun. With her free hand, she pulled her cuffs out from her breast pocket and cautiously approached him. _

"_On the ground!" _

"_What's your name?" He asked as he watched her take a step towards him. _

_She didn't respond._

"_What's your name?" He repeated. _

"_Cassidy Reed," She finally said. _

"_Well Cassidy Reed," He said. "You just signed your own death warrant." _

_He was fast, but she was marginally faster. He tried to drive her backward and slam her against the concrete wall, but she slid out of the way, raising the Glock, with the muzzle three feet from his leg, and she pulled the trigger. _

_As Stoker fell to the ground, she could tell her pulse was beginning to race and her hands begin to shake but she fought to keep her breathing even and hands steady to keep up the facade of being frightened. Her first assignment going undercover with the DEA and she just had a threat on her life. It was seldom that Cassidy had moments where she regretted her choice to go into law enforcement, but this was undoubtedly one of them. _

_"Hello? Earth to Cass?" _

_Miller's voice broke through her daydream and brought her back to reality in a hurry._

_"What? Oh, sorry! What did you say?" she asked sheepishly as she realized he had been talking to her as Stoker was being hauled away by officials. _

_Miller shook his head and chuckled lightly. _

_"Come on space case, you do that on a mission and you could end up dead!"_

_"I know, I'm sorry," Cassidy sighed tiredly. "It's just that I'm a little unnerved from this whole assignment. I've never had to-"_

_Her sentence was cut short as the duo heard several voices shouting as Stoker grabbed the gun of a SCAT official and shot directly at Cassidy, hitting her in the side where her vest did not protect her and fell hard to the ground, bleeding. _

"_Cass!" _

_As Miller rushed to her aid, he saw that tears had cut glimmering tracks down her face. She was heaving for breath as Miller was trying his best to remain calm as he yanked open her vest. _

"_She's been hit!" Miller cried, placing his hands over the wound, attempting to stop the flow of blood. "Hicks, get a damn medic out here, now! You tell them there's an officer down! Do it now!" _

_He turned back to Cassidy whose hand reached for his face as pained whimpers escaped her lips. _

"_I know, sweetheart. I know." He soothed. "Stay with me. Don't leave me. You're gonna be okay. Stay with me!" _

_Cassidy gazed into his eyes, full of fear and nodded lightly. _

_Stoker couldn't help the smirk on his face as officials pulled him to his feet. _

"_I told her she didn't know who she was up against!" He shouted. _

_It took every ounce of willpower Miller had not to stand up and lodge a bullet into the scumbags brain, but he couldn't bare leaving her side, even for a second, especially when she needed him the most. _

"_H-Hailey," She whimpered. _

"_Shh, don't talk." Miller commanded gently before wheeling back to Hicks. "Where's my medic, Hicks!" _

_Her eyes drifted shut as she lost consciousness, her last thoughts being of Hailey as tears escaped from beneath her eyelashes, cutting wet trails down her cheeks as she succumbed entirely to darkness. _

**A/N: Whew, long prologue. Let me know what you think, drop a review! Love you guys! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone. This month has been especially hectic, with work and family. Here in the next installment, looking forward to writing the next chapter. :) Thanks to, Sunshine0024, Team-bartowski, Misscraziness, Psychftfw (Wattpad) & Charisse (QuoteV) for reviewing, as well as to those who favorite/followed Obscure Reflections.**

**Note: There is a small lemon in this chapter. I'm not going to separate them this time like I did with Antiquity, so young readers or readers who are not fond with lemons, feel free to pass.**

**After chapter 3, things are going to get serious. :) Don't forget to drop a review, let me know what you think!**

**Obscure Reflections: Chapter 2**

"Does anyone have a right to hurt you?" Cassidy shouted.

"No," the kids screamed back.

"Why?" She said. "Because you are special."

A little over five years had passed since the Charlie Briggs incident, since then Cassidy had devoted a few hours every weekday to various Santa Barbara Elementary schools; teaching children on how to protect themselves with a self-defense program called radKIDS that was sponsored by the Santa Barbara Police Department that gave children the knowledge and tools to help them stay safe.

During the course she would teach children hands-on self-defense techniques that taught them to run, shout, punch and kick, anything they needed to do to get away from an abductor. The 10 hour course trained kids in a number of areas including the difference between "good touch" and "bad touch," to the kinds of tricks that would-be abductors use to lure children and gain their trust.

Today was their last day of training and Cassidy was leading a 25-minute session where the kids practiced the defensive radKIDS stance and moves like the shin kick and the reverse elbow strike.

"Now remember, this is not to be used against your brother or sister," Cassidy reminded the children.

Now it was time for the final part of the program called the simulation, where a "bad guy" dressed in a bright red padded suit attempted to abduct them. Donned in special helmets, kneepads and elbow pads the kids lined up for their turn.

The "bad guy" was really Santa Barbara Officer Everett Vess who tried to entice each child to come closer, like telling 5-year-old Kelly McNab that he likes the flower shirt she's wearing.

"This guy is a stranger, he's getting in your space," Cassidy said, "You yell 'no.' don't even let him touch you."

The young girl hesitated, and Vess grabbed her. But with a few swift kicks to the shin, Kelly was able to get away.

"Good job, sweetheart." Cassidy praised Kelly as she ran back in line to the other kids.

After each child had a turn to demonstrate their skill, Cassidy redirected her attention back to the parents. She waited until she was sure she had everyone's attention before she started speaking.

"This is not about fighting; this is not about violence. This is about stopping someone from hurting your child." Cassidy said. "It is more important than ever for you parents to empower your children. They need to learn to recognize danger and, if attacked, draw attention by screaming, kicking and running away."

From the moment the final word rolled off her tongue Cassidy had barely been able to think or even to breathe. She'd been mobbed at the course and every one of the participating student's parents showed their love. They pressed various gifts on her, they hit her with ideas for scheduling weekend self-defense classes, or they just came up and hugged her.

But none of that meant as much to her as when Victoria Mason came up to her and took her hand. "Thank you so much, Detective." She said. "We parents appreciate all that you do for these children. We rest easy knowing they're able to defend themselves if ever needed to. Thank you."

A smile graced Cassidy's lips.

"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you," She said. "I've enjoyed working with these kids, they're phenomenal."

Victoria was smiling happily at her. She was nothing but pleased.

Finally the course had broken up around eleven. Cassidy had said her goodbyes and thanked Officer Vess for his service, and the people filtered out to head back to their daily duties.

As Cassidy began to gather up her gear, Shawn and Gus walked through the double doors, but not before a child screamed 'stranger' and kneed Gus in the shin.

Gus let out a pained cry and instinctively reached for his shin and gave a heated glare to the young child who stuck his tongue out at him as left through the doors.

"You little-" Gus said, rolling up his sleeves. "I'm gonna beat your pompous little-"

Shawn grabbed the collar of Gus' shirt. "You can't. No."

Gus craned his neck to Shawn. "What?"

"Gus, you can't hit a little kid."

Gus smacked his lips in disapproval.

Cassidy turned and walked to Shawn and Gus.

"I see you're still just as popular with the kids, Gus." She chuckled.

"That kid needs Jesus." Gus said.

"No," Cassidy said. "What he lacks is discipline. Send him to my father for a week and I promise you that he'll come back a proper gentleman."

"I think she meant if he comes back," Shawn whispered to Gus, who slapped his arm.

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"Anyways," Cassidy said. "I'm going to have to cancel our lunch plans for this afternoon. I have a meeting with Chief Vick here in the next thirty minutes, but you two feel free to grab something without me."

Cassidy pressed a swift kiss to Shawn's cheek and waved the two goodbye.

**~PSYCH~**

"Is Spencer still in there?" Lassiter said

"Yeah," Gus said. "And Washington's Attorney General."

"I don't think it's about the cases the Chief's assigned the three of you lately." Juliet said.

"Do you know something, Jules?" Shawn asked.

"Do I know something?" Juliet said.

"Ho. Ho," Shawn said. "Jules just repeated the question, that's a sign."

"Do you know why Spencer is in there, O'Hara?" Lassiter asked.

Juliet shook her head. "I have no idea."

The five of them now redirected their attention back to the chief's door, wondering what exactly was going on in there.

Cassidy had been in Vick's office for almost half an hour now and things weren't progressing as quickly as she had hoped.

Attorney General Hoffman was a persistent man. And from being in the room with him for a mere thirty minutes, Cassidy could already tell this man was used to getting what he wanted with very little resistance.

Cassidy was a patient woman, but her patience was wearing thin with this man. Cases were piling up and with Halloween only two days away, she wanted to clear up as many as possible before Trick-or-Treating with Ellie began.

"I have given it some thought," Cassidy said. "I'm not interested."

"Clearly," Attorney General Hoffman said. "You've turned down the job twice without consulting your Chief first."

"Detective Spencer is under no obligation to discuss it with me," Vick said.

"If the Attorney General's office called one of your detectives, don't you think you should know about it?" He said, then turned his attention back to Cassidy. "Why didn't you tell Chief Vick that you turned down the position?"

"Because I don't tend to leave this one." Cassidy said quickly.

"You've been with the SBPD for five years," Hoffman said.

"Your point, sir?" Cassidy said.

"My point is change is good," Hoffman said. "I guarantee working for me would be a hell of a lot better than schooling children on defensive tactics and babysitting two grown men all day long."

"I do what I love." Cassidy said. "It's made me a better person and a better mother. Any sacrifices I have made have been for my family. I don't have a single regret, sir."

"Detective Spencer is a valuable partner to this department and it's understandable why you're requesting a transfer." Vick said.

"However, if Detective Spencer respectfully declines there is no way you can make her go."

"No, I can't," Hoffman said.

Hoffman crossed Chief Vick's office quickly and pulled the door open. Chief Vick and Cassidy followed.

"I'm a very busy man detective but I'm willing to give you a few extra days to think it over. Opportunities such as this only come once in a lifetime, two in your case." He said as he turned back to Cassidy. "My flight back to D.C. doesn't leave until Friday evening. I'll return for your final answer then."

Hoffman turned away and walked back the way he had come. Chief Vick turned to face her detective.

"Cassidy, Attorney General?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Chief." She apologized.

"It's okay," She said. "It's just, it's a big deal. The AG Investigative Team is a major promotion from your current position. You'll be federal again. Are you sure you don't want this?"

The detective nodded. "I'm sure, Chief."

Without another word, Cassidy left the room, closing the door quietly behind her, leaving the chief alone.

Cassidy marched over to her desk and swept Shawn's feet off the computer keyboard and gave his chair a shove and sent him rolling away from the desk.

She pulled up an empty chair and sat down, ignoring the four sets of eyes that were sparkling with curiosity.

Cassidy leaned forward on her desk, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

"What are we in high school?" She said, turning to regard her colleagues. "If I tell you guys will you promise to stop breathing down my neck while I try to work?"

They all nodded and leaned in, waiting expectantly for what she was about to say.

"I was offered a job with the Attorney General's office in D.C. last month," She said. "When I was first contacted by Hoffman, I didn't even think I'd answer the email. I had this job already-why would I be interested in a second one? But to ignore it seemed rude, so I e-mailed him back and asked for more details. I figured I'd see what he had to say, then politely decline, having given the appearance of considering it seriously."

"You've always been thoughtful toward strangers." Shawn said, scooting himself back toward the desk.

"I wasn't even sure I was going to open Hoffman's follow-up e-mail," Cassidy said. "I glanced at it to be polite. And then I looked at it again. It was all about the Attorney General's Investigative Team. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it wouldn't work, so I declined his offer."

"Apparently, Hoffman doesn't like no for an answer and flew down here to discuss it in person." She continued. "He wants me to take a few more days to reevaluate my decision."

"Are you having second thoughts?" Juliet asked.

Cassidy shook her head.

"Why would I want to leave for a job thousands of miles away when everyone that matters to me is here? If I wanted to go back to being a federal agent, I would've taken my old job back in Santa Clara when Miller had offered."

The blank stares from all four colleagues told her they didn't know what to think.

"So you're saying there's an opening?" Lassiter said.

Juliet raised a hand and smacked Lassiter behind the head and gave him a condemning glance.

"Ow, what was that for?" He said, turning his head to O'Hara. "It was a simple yes or no question. Turning down an offer that good was an extremely imprudent decision on her part.

Cassidy leaned back into her chair, her gaze locking with his.

"Don't get me wrong, the job has its perks. But my time as a federal agent has come and gone. I'm homicide now." She said.

"Now if you all would excuse me, I have tons of work to finish up if I plan on taking my little girl out for trick-or-treating."

Before Cassidy could turn back to her computer, Juliet embraced her warmly.

"I'm glad you decided to stay here with us, it wouldn't be the same if you guys left." She smiled. "And despite Carlton's lack of support, we all know he feels the same."

"Speak for yourself," Lassiter scoffed.

Lassiter turned and walked back to his desk, allowing a small smile to form on his lips. Though he would never say it out aloud, he cared for Cassidy more than he'll ever admit, even Shawn. And despite Shawn and Gus' increasing presence in police investigations which was a great annoyance to him, he secretly didn't mind them too much because it always gave him a nice challenge.

**~PSYCH~**

The day seemed to fly since she was much busier than yesterday and every time things began to slow down, Vick or Lassiter would come by and give her something else to do. Cassidy didn't really mind. She'd rather be busy than bored. Before she knew it, the day was over.

She hurried home, spurred on by the thought of seeing her family and was thankful her house was only a few short miles from where she worked. Once she reached her front door, she hurried inside and was welcomed by delicious fragrances and was surprised to see Shawn standing over the stove doing something that looking suspiciously like cooking.

"Hey you." She said, wandering into the kitchen, drawn by the wonderful aroma and sheer curiosity since Shawn wasn't exactly known for his skills as a cook.

"Hey." He answered, smiling slightly when he saw her curious look. "Hungry?"

"Starving." She answered when she saw two pans on the stove, one heating up two grilled cheese sandwiches and the other simmering a creamy red liquid that could only be tomato soup.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Cassidy smiled, watching the pseudo psychic flip the sandwiches to reveal perfectly golden sides.

"Don't be. Grilled cheese isn't exactly difficult and the soup is out of a can."

Cassidy giggled and positioned herself behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her cheek against his back. "It doesn't matter. It's exactly what I wanted to eat."

She could hear him chuckle and feel his back vibrate with the sound.

"Is that so?" he asked, his tone obviously amused.

"I didn't know it until I walked in the door but it is." Cassidy smiled, equally playful. "And Ellie?"

"Asleep," He replied.

Cassidy sighed and pulled away, a small pout forming on her lips.

"Well then I guess I'll head upstairs to say goodnight."

"Okay,"

Cassidy reached the top of the stairs and quietly opened the door to Ellie's room. She kneeled beside Ellie's bedside and brushed a few stray hairs away from her small face before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." She whispered. "I love you so much."

Cassidy stood and turned to leave, when she heard the little voice call for her.

"Mommy?"

Turning around, she gazed down at Ellie who was looking up at her with half lidded eyes.

"Go back to sleep baby," She said. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"I've missed you." She whispered tiredly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I missed you too, honey." She said.

"Did you kick some enemy-butt today?" She asked, finally sitting up.

"Enemy-butt?" Cassidy chuckled. "No sweetheart, not today."

Questioningly, she tilted her head to the side, causing a tuft of her beautiful short brown hair to fall in front of her eyes.

"Why not?" She asked. "You're the strongest detective there is. Why didn't you kick their butt?"

"Well, first of all; I'm not really the strongest detective there is, though it flatters me that you think so." She started to explain as she sat down beside her daughter. "And second; my job is not all about kicking butt. It's about finding the bad people and putting them in time-out until they realize what they did was wrong."

"Grown-ups get time-outs?!" She said with a surprised look in her eyes.

Cassidy chuckled.

"Even grown-ups," She assured. "Though their time-outs are a lot longer than the ones you get when you misbehave."

"I'm only 5—I don't know all the rules yet!" Ellie said as she crawled into her mother's lap.

Cassidy couldn't help but laugh and embraced her tightly.

"Do you ever get scared?" Ellie asked.

Cassidy smiled and placed a hand on Ellie's head.

"Sometimes," She replied.

"Wow, _you_ get scared?" She said, wide eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"Everyone is afraid of something even though they try their hardest to hide it sometimes." Cassidy said. "Being afraid is not a bad thing, it's a good thing because fear is there to protect us that way we can react to something that could be dangerous."

"What are you afraid of, mommy?"

"That young lady is a conversation for another time," She smiled as she lay Ellie down and pulled the covers over her. "Right now it's time for you to go back to sleep."

"Aw, man."

Cassidy chuckled softly as she watched her lips form a pout and stood.

"I love you," Cassidy said.

"I love me too,"

Cassidy slapped her forehead. This child was something else, her personality resembled that of her father.

"Wrap me up like a Dorito, Mommy!"

"Burrito," She corrected.

"Right, what you said."

Cassidy smiled and shook her head.

'_Yup, definitely like her father.' _She thought.

After she wrapped Ellie like a "burrito" she leaned down to place another kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetie." She whispered.

"Goodnight, mommy."

Cassidy turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind her before returning back downstairs to her significant other who was filling coffee mugs with tomato soup. He claimed drinking soup this way was less messy and more functional but Cassidy never ceased to roll her eyes at him for it. Tonight was no exception.

"We have bowls you know." She said as she took her plate and mug and followed him out to the couch.

"I know." He said simply in a tone that said the house could have been filled with bowls but he still would have filled a mug instead.

The subject was instantly dropped when she bit into her sandwich. How long had it been since she had had one of these? She had forgotten just how good they were and continued to eat in silence, placated by the food that was perfect for a day such as this.

"Jules wanted to know if we're still up for Friday." Shawn said, disturbing the quiet as he sipped soup out of his mug.

"Oh yeah, the department's Halloween party." Cassidy sighed, settling back against the plush couch. "That totally slipped my mind with Hoffman and all."

"Well, we don't have to go." Shawn chuckled. "But I was really looking forward to seeing you in your costume."

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you are looking forward to this as much as I am." She smiled.

Shawn shrugged, his eyes mischievous.

"The sexy babe version of Connor from Assassin's Creed, can you blame me?" He said.

Shawn took her mug from her hands and placed it on the coffee table nearly spilling Cassidy on the floor as he leaned forward but he held onto her and redirected his focus to her as he straightened.

Cassidy's giggles were silenced as his lips met hers gently, his kiss tender and soft and she let her weight settle against him, her palms pressed to his chest as he tasted the last traces of soup on her lips.

"You're such a perv," She smiled, bringing a hand up to wipe away a few stray crumbs from the corner of his mouth. "I'm going to take a shower."

She went move off his lap and stand but Shawn held her right where she was and she looked at him questioningly.

"Need any help in there?" Shawn smiled, nodding towards their upstairs bedroom where their shower was.

"I don't, but your hair does." Cassidy replied, noting it was even wilder than usual.

That was enough of an invitation for Shawn. Without removing her from his lap, he stood and walked them both into the master bathroom.

He set her down on the tiled floor and cranked on the hot water, letting it warm up while he stripped off his shirt before turning to divest Cassidy of her own clothing. She found it amusing that he was more interested in getting her naked than himself but within moments, her shirt, pants and boots were all gone from her body. Simultaneously they went for the last garment the other was wearing and managed to awkwardly wrestle off their panties and boxers before stumbling into the shower and shutting the door behind them.

Cassidy found her back pressed against the warmed tiles as Shawn's lips descended once more and she found he still tasted slightly of tomato soup. His hands cupped her breasts and began to knead the soft globes gently and Cassidy shuddered at the flash of heat that started low in her belly and shot up her spine. He knew her body well and navigated it skillfully and soon she was ready for him, overwhelmed by the need to have the aching emptiness in her filled.

All thoughts of getting clean in the shower disappeared as he pushed into her, hiking a smooth leg over his hip to allow him to sink into her deeper. He immediately began to move in slow, powerful thrusts, the heat building between them having nothing to do with the steaming droplets falling around them. Cassidy wrapped her arms around his back, clinging to him desperately as he pumped against her.

Through her lust clouded mind, she managed to form the thought that it was a good thing they weren't in a hurry to go anywhere, the only thing that was going to force them from this shower was the hot water running out.

**~PSYCH~**

Shawn awoke, knowing it was still early since the morning light had not yet turned from gray to pink. Cassidy's warm body was molded to his, giving him a sense of peace that he'd never known. Her breath was slow and even, signaling she was still asleep, and Shawn allowed himself the moment to watch her slumber as his fingers moved absentmindedly over the small scar on her side, tenderly.

He pressed his lips to her cheek, then her neck, and was rewarded with a soft murmur as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," he rasped huskily.

"Good morning," she replied with a smile.

Cassidy lay her head against Shawn's chest as their hands found each other, fingers intertwining against the mussed sheets. She had been through so much with this man. He had seen her in her strongest moments and her weakest. He saw what was beneath her exterior, saw her stripped bare of the shell she had carefully constructed for herself. He had seen her at her most vulnerable, most fragile, and he had not broken her. And above all, despite all her imperfections and flaws, he still loved her, and she him, and that in itself was a gift greater than any she could ever hope to find.

She snuggled closer to Shawn and sighed in contentment, knowing she had another hour or two before she had to get up for work.

A short moment later, her phone beeped, indicating her that she was being paged.

Hastily, she grabbed her phone and read the message.

_Body found in multi-park garage of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital._

'_Well so much for that,' _Cassidy thought.

**~PSYCH~**

By the time they had reached the entrance to the multi-story car park for the hospital, uniformed officers had corralled the spectators away from the crime scene.

"The killer could've at least waited a few more hours ," Shawn said, trying to hide a large yawn behind his hand. "No consideration to those who have to be here early in the morning to clean up his mess."

Both Cassidy and Gus couldn't agree more.

"What do you have, McNab?"

"Male, early 30s. CSI is on their way." He said. "It appears he was set upon by an unknown assailant. Looks like he was heading into work when it happened. His body was found by one of the night shift nurses who just finished her shift around seven o'clock this morning. Now we've segregated them into staff and patients. A lot of them want to know when they can go home."

Cassidy sighed.

"Get statements from the patients who are already cleared for discharge; then send them on their way. I want your primary focus on the staff. Find out which ones had a grudge against the victim."

"I've already done that, ma'am," McNab said. "It seems they all did."

"Of course," I said. "I'll get to them as soon as I can. See if you can separate the childish, petty grudges from the substantial issues."

"Yes, ma'am."

Cassidy kneeled down by the body and reached a gloved hand into the corpse's back pocket, retrieving his wallet and flipped through the contents.

"Let's see here," She said. "Victim was 32 year old Dean Hollister. Wallet and cash are still intact so we can definitely rule out a mugging."

"A savage beating early in the morning, there must be some type of motive." Gus said.

"Cause of death was probably from the blunt force trauma he sustained to the head where he hit the concrete," She said, studying him closely. "What in the-is that a bite mark on his arm?"

Shawn looked down at the victim and saw. Saw his right arm was missing whole bite-sized chunks of flesh, human bite-sized chunks. Saw discoloration of the infected area. Saw that coagulation had already begun to staunch the flow of blood.

"Looks like Mr. Hollister was able to tear off a piece of the killer's shirt during the struggle." Cassidy said prying his hand open to retrieve the piece of fabric.

Shawn nudged Gus.

"Gus, Gus, Gus," Shawn said, excitedly. "Savage bite marks, discoloration of the wound."

"Abnormally pale! What!?" Gus said. "Do it, Shawn. Do it."

Shawn nodded and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

"Oh, no. Please, Shawn, not today. Anything but that." Cassidy said wearily. "The last time we went through one of your silly hunches the entire department couldn't stop laughing at us for two whole weeks!"

The boy's eyes glittered with excitement and Cassidy found her anger dissipating in the face of their child-like enthusiasm.

Cassidy sighed in defeat.

"Proceed,"

Shawn closed his eyes.

"HrrmmMMM, ahhhhh Zzzrrrrr," Shawn moaned. "Brains, BRAINS, BRains, brains, BRAINS."

"They're coming to get you, Barbra." Gus said.

"Z to the O to the M to the B to the I,E. ZOMBIE…"

A/N: If you didn't get Gus' quote at the end, it's actually from Night of the Living Dead. Since Halloween is coming up, figured I'd make this their first case before things go down.

Don't forget to drop a line. The more feedback I receive, the more inspiration I get to continue writing! :)


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